Command Failure in War
Subtitle: Psychology and Leadership
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: March 2004
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 312
ISBN-13: 9780253343789
Subjects: History of specific subjects; Psychology; Theory of warfare & military science; History; History - Military / War; Military; Military - General; 18th century; 19th century; Case studies; Command of troops; Military history, Modern
First sentence: EVEN AFTER TWENTIETH-CENTURY events have demonstrated for all to see the follies and horrors attendant upon modern war, Frederick II of Prussia (1740-1786) remains a fascinating individual for many people, mostly because of his military adventures.
Description: "Why do military commanders, most of them usually quite capable, fail at crucial moments of their careers? Robert Pois and Philip Langer - one a historian, the other an educational psychologist - study seven cases of military command failures, from Frederick the Great at Kunersdorf to Hitler's invasion of Russia. While Pois and Langer recognized the value of psychological theorizing, they do not believe that one method can cover all the individuals, battles, or campaigns under examination. Instead, they judiciously apply a number of psychohistorical approaches in hope of shedding light on the behaviors of commanders during war. Rather than adhering to theoretical uniformity, the most parsimonious explanations drive their applications of psychological theory. Their goal is to provide plausible explanations for the failures of command discussed within."--BOOK JACKET.